Silk Knots is brought to you by mixed-race journalist Sara Hayden. The project’s mission is to document and preserve the lived experiences and histories of people, especially Asian American and Pacific Islander folks, whose stories have been previously under represented, misrepresented, and/or under acknowledged across the American West.
I love the power of stories as a way to create and connect community. My favorites are those that zero in on humanity and culture, appearing in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Half Moon Bay Review, Peninsula Press, Resonate, and more. Below are stories about the Asian American experience. If you’re interested in being featured or have a story tip, contact me here.
Mirror (2021 film)
Bad Repertory Theatre
A short autobiographical documentary: With moves across states and travels abroad, Sara Hayden must leave and return to find home. “Mirror” is her story about growing up mixed race and finding her place in the world.
Interview: Peilin Chou’s “Over the Moon” shows the impossible’s possible
Resonate
Netflix producer Peilin Chou sheds light on her career and latest film. From growing up in Northern California’s Walnut Creek to finding her calling in Los Angeles, Peilin Chou’s roots in the entertainment industry run deep.
Gig Review: Kyungso Park and Andy Sheppard Live at the Royal Albert Hall, London
Resonate
Musician Kyungso Park is a pioneer. Armed with a gayageum, a stringed instrument that lays flat like a zither on a tilted table, she transforms traditional sounds from her native South Korea into contemporary explorations. Listeners are invited for the evocative journey.
Regular Blend
Tumblr
What is it like to grow up in a pressure cooker environment? How does it feel to immigrate and start life anew? Why do people shoot for the American Dream? Find out from people who have centered their lives in Silicon Valley and created a culture all their own. A multimedia experience.
Unpacking 26 Seconds with Decades of History
Half Moon Bay Review
This is a story told in five parts. The first is about hate speech that fired off at a stoplight. The next is an attempt to understand what could be happening on a deeper level. The next is a historic timeline that shows why what happened could have happened. Then there’s an explanation for what the law has to say about such encounters. The last piece is my personal response.
Film Review: I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead – Steve Aoki
Resonate
A desire to carry the weight of the family name drives Steve Aoki to stand out in the Netflix documentary ‘I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead’.
Shaved Snow in Mountain View
Peninsula Press, SF Gate
Food is a portal to the world and a connection to culture as demonstrated by Snozen, a cafe in Mountain View. Video and radio feature.
Learning the ABCs of Being ABC
Half Moon Bay Review
How do you celebrate Chinese New Year when you’re mixed? Write your own rules. A personal essay in which Sara Hayden reflects on her experiences with the Lunar New Year.
A Healing Kind of Needlework
Half Moon Bay Review
Mark Takata started work as an athletic trainer for the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 and discovered the value of acupuncture shortly after.
Noble Silence
Half Moon Bay Review
Buddhist classes on California’s Coastside uphold Burmese tradition.
‘Love, InshAllah’
SF Gate, San Francisco Chronicle
Friends Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi decided that they needed a space for American Muslim women to honestly voice their romantic experiences. The result? Sassy, sexy and humorous stories contributed by 25 women document anything from arranged marriage to first lesbian love and much, much more.
Language of Love
The Daily Californian
Inspired by a true story, Sumi, a Japanese woman, and James, an African American man, fall in love. They don’t speak each other’s native language, but find universal connection through communication and conflict. A podcast and written review of an experimental reading of the play “Yohen” written by Philip Kan Gotanda at the Durham Studio Theater in Berkeley, Calif.
Remembering Racism that Changed the Coast
Half Moon Bay Review
Naomi Patridge, who was the first Asian American woman elected to serve in San Mateo County and spent seven terms as mayor of Half Moon Bay, Calif., remembers her time spent at the Tanforan Race Track temporary “internment camp” as a child. Following an executive order issued by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Patridge her Japanese American family, along with 122,000 other innocent people, were removed from their homes and incarcerated in WWII.
* * *
In addition to producing original pieces on the Asian American experience, Sara is committed to helping others share stories that have diverse perspectives. To that end she’s helped authors with the following books:
The Silk Knots Project 